Getting A Second Chance
by BlackFox12
Summary: AU. Alex Krycek is brought back by the Consortium, but he does the one thing no one expects of him and runs - to the only man who ever treated him like a human being. Contains spanking and slash. Don't like? Don't read


**Getting A Second Chance**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the fandom The X-Files and I'm not making any money from this fic

**Summary:** AU. Alex Krycek is brought back by the Consortium, but he does the one thing no one expects of him and runs - to the only man who ever treated him like a human being

**Warning(s):** Spanking; spoilers for most of the series; violence; swearing

**Pairing:** Walter Skinner/Alex Krycek - slash

* * *

As he left the building, Walter Skinner felt a weight he hadn't realised was there lift from him. Today had been a particularly long, tiring one. Trying to keep Mulder in check was nearly impossible - made worse by the fact that most of what he said and did, Walter could understand; or at least understand the reasons behind them.

If only the man wasn't so obsessive. Then again, maybe it was a requirement - to balance out his brilliance.

Reaching his car, Walter reflected that, although he'd never actually regretted becoming AD, he sometimes missed the more simple days, when all he had to worry about was himself and his partner.

There was a faint sound behind Walter, breaking into his thoughts. He turned, expecting to see one of his agents behind him... and found himself looking at a ghost.

Alex Krycek was standing behind him.

Walter started to reach for his gun, but then hesitated. Either Krycek was a hallucination - in which case, he'd just look liked he was shooting at empty air - or Krycek was really here; and shooting the bastard once already hadn't done a thing.

"Aren't you going to say hello... sir?"

The words should have sounded mocking, but the tone was all wrong. Krycek's voice had a deferential tone to it that Walter only remembered hearing from Krycek when the man had posed as a rookie agent. "You must have more lives than a cat. I thought I'd killed you."

"You did."

"I don't believe in ghosts."

"I'm not a ghost," Krycek said. "I was brought back to life. By the Consortium, though I don't know how they did it." He shrugged. "Though I can guess why."

Walter chose to ignore that part. "What are you doing here, Krycek? You have to know you won't succeed in using anything against the FBI again. We're not going to trust you; not after the way you betrayed us." He just about managed to avoid saying, 'me.' But for some reason he couldn't put into words, Krycek's betrayal had hit him personally.

Krycek hesitated, holding eye contact a moment before speaking. "That's not what I'm here for."

"Then what are you here for?"

"You..." Krycek hesitated. "You were the first person who ever treated me as a person and not a tool."

Walter thought back to all of the conversations he had had with Krycek. While they hadn't interacted that much when Krycek had been a double agent, Walter had spoken to him exactly the same way he had the other agents, despite the undeniable attraction he'd felt towards the younger man.

That attraction was gone now. It had been for a very long time, since discovering the rat's treachery. It didn't matter how Walter felt now, watching Krycek in front of him. "That didn't stop you trying to kill me."

"If I'd tried to kill you, you'd be dead."

"You tortured me. And you were a double agent. I don't think I can list off all the different things you've done - and no excuse you can offer will change that."

"I'm not here to make excuses."

"Then why are you here?" Walter didn't believe for a second that Krycek was telling him the truth. The man was a survivor, plain and simple. Walter imagined that the only reason he was here was because the Consortium had washed their hands of him.

"I want to make things right."

Walter didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it hadn't been that. His first instinct was to accuse Krycek of lying... but he'd worked in the FBI for so long, it had given him a fairly strong ability to tell when someone was telling the truth or not. Despite all of his experience with Alex Krycek, Walter had the feeling that - for once - Krycek was being honest. "And how do you intend to do that?" he asked warily.

"I have information on the Consortium and a lot of their current plans - everything I was able to grab before I escaped," Krycek answered. "It's in a safe place. I can give it to you." He hesitated, an almost nervous look passing across his face, before adding, "For a price."

"I'm not going to pay you." If Walter hadn't expected a knife in it, he would have turned his back on Krycek.

"I'm not asking for money."

"Then what are you asking for?" Walter couldn't keep the note of suspicion out of his voice.

"I want..." Krycek hesitated. "I've probably had a second chance and a third chance... a lot of chances... but I'd like another one, if you think it's possible. A chance to prove myself - and convince you that I'm being honest."

Surprised, Walter couldn't immediately find the words to reply to that. It took him a moment or two to find his voice. "It's easy to say that when you have nothing to back it up with."

"How do you want me to prove what I say?"

"You did a very good job of breaking any trust you gained," Walter said. "And you did some terrible, awful things. You hurt a lot of people. That's not something I can just forget." Technically, Alex Krycek was registered dead, so bringing him to justice was impossible - but Walter wasn't willing to just let all of this go. "I believe in justice. And I think justice needs to be served here."

"You have your gun with you. I'm unarmed. You can shoot me if you want. I'm already registered dead, so you won't get into trouble for killing me again."

That was almost exactly what Walter had considered when he'd seen Krycek, but as the other man had talked, he'd begun to change his mind. "I don't think killing you - again - will do any good." And if he was honest with himself, he didn't really want to shoot Krycek. If Krycek really had changed, then he deserved a second chance. If he hadn't, then at least Walter would be able to keep an eye on him.

"Then you want to give me a punishment of some kind," Krycek said without any change to his voice. "I have a room in a hotel. The walls are sound-proofed."

"I'm not going to a hotel with you." Walter considered and then gestured towards his car. "Get in."

Krycek hesitated, looking between Walter and the car. "Are you sure?"

Was he sure? No, he really wasn't. But there was no way Walter was going to admit that to Krycek. Putting on his best AD face, he gestured sharply towards the car. "I wasn't asking."

Krycek stepped slowly round the car, slipping gracefully past Walter as he passed a bit closer than was strictly necessary. He stood silently by the passenger door, then - when Walter unlocked the car - he opened the door and got in, closing the door before putting his seatbelt on.

Walter shook his head, but didn't comment on the image of Alex Krycek acting like a law-abiding citizen. He didn't say anything as he sat on the driver's seat and put his own seatbelt on after closing the door.

* * *

Neither spoke on the journey to Walter's home. Walter kept half of his attention on the road and the other half on Krycek. He noticed the way the other man's gaze constantly moved from side to side, always watchful and reminding Walter of a predator. Yet again, he wondered what Alex Krycek's true motives here were.

In a far shorter time than Walter would have liked, he parked outside his house. He got out of the car, glancing briefly over as Krycek got out as well. Walter then walked over to the front door and unlocked it, opening the door and stepping inside. He felt rather than heard Krycek slip inside the house behind him.

Walter closed the door and turned to Krycek. "What do you really want?"

"I told you..."

"You told me what you thought I wanted to hear," Walter cut across him. "And I'm sick of your lies, Krycek. You say that the Consortium brought you back - and I assume they're also responsible for the return of your arm. I can't see any reason for you to be here, other than that you've been sent by them. So I want the truth from you."

Krycek held Walter's gaze for a few moments before he spoke. "I'm not afraid of death anymore."

Walter was sure his confusion showed on his face. "What?"

"I did what I felt I had to do survive. I'm not going to make excuses. But I died - and even though I don't remember it, I remember that it wasn't scary. So I'm no longer afraid of it, which means I can stop trying to survive and start trying to live." Krycek spoke quietly, but an intense kind of sincerity.

"And what exactly does that mean?"

A tiny smile touched at Krycek's lips, gone in moments. "It means I've come to the only person I now feel I can trust."

"I'm not sure having an assassin's trust is a good thing."

Krycek shrugged - an almost fluid movement. Walter found himself noticing the graceful movements Krycek made. Even from the first moment he saw him, Walter had seen the fluid grace in the other man's movements and wondered how flexible his body was.

Which was something he definitely shouldn't have been wondering about a rookie agent.

"Did you have a specific punishment in mind, or would you like suggestions?"

Surprised, Walter darted his gaze to Krycek's face, away from the rest of his body. "What do you mean?"

"I think we agreed that you wanted to punish me."

Walter tried to force his mind away from the mental images that raised. "I don't remember agreeing to that."

"You implied your agreement when you decided to bring me here." Krycek leaned lightly against the wall. "Besides, you'd take some sort of disciplinary action against one of your agents who screwed up, wouldn't you?"

"Do you even regret anything you've done?"

Krycek's eyes turned dark and he took several moments to reply. "There are many things I regret."

Walter sighed, resisting the urge to walk into the kitchen and pour himself a cold beer. He needed a clear head to deal with Krycek. He already had to deal with one problem in the form of Fox Mulder. What was it about him that attracted these troublemakers? "I assume you must have some form of punishment in mind."

"I've done some research."

Somehow, Walter wasn't surprised. "What sort of research?" he asked, a bit warily.

"Nothing illegal. I've asked around and looked in books, as well as using the Internet," Krycek answered. "A lot of what I did was very personal towards you. You could beat me up. You could torture me in many different ways. There are even places on my body you could shoot me that would be painful but not fatal. I could show you a variety of pressure points that will hurt without even leaving a mark."

Walter was shaking his head throughout Krycek's whole speech. "I'm not that kind of man."

"I know you're not."

The words were simple, but Walter had a flash of shooting Krycek while the other man was pushing his gun towards him. It was an action he'd regretted for a very long time. If he'd chosen to spare Krycek, could he have found an ally in him? Perhaps more?

And that was probably the real reason why Walter hadn't taken out his gun and shot Krycek. Despite everything that had happened, he wanted to believe that redemption was possible for the other man. "What conclusion did you reach?" he asked, hoping that nothing of what he was feeling showed on his face.

"That you should spank me."

Walter's first instinct was to assume that Krycek was joking and respond accordingly. He quashed down that urge and studied Krycek's face. "Why a spanking?"

Krycek shrugged. "It doesn't cause any lasting damage. It's a much more personal punishment. And it doesn't have to be just one spanking. You can repeat it until you're convinced that I've paid enough."

Walter considered Krycek's words. He was still partially convinced this was a trick, but he couldn't deny that he felt Krycek deserved punishment. Besides, if he called the other man's bluff, he'd quickly see if he was telling the truth. "You've convinced me." He turned and walked through the hallway, heading through to the living room and taking a seat on the couch, aware of Krycek following him.

Krycek stopped on Walter's right side, standing close enough that their legs were almost brushing together. He didn't speak as he unhurriedly undid his jeans and pushed them down to just below his knees, following them with his boxers. He then leaned over Walter's lap, folding his arms on the couch and resting his head on them.

The whole situation felt somewhat surreal and Walter half-wondered what his agents would think of him now, with a former agent across his lap, fully submitting to him. Krycek's weight was warm and solid and Walter rested his left arm across the other man's back, lightly stroking the hip furthest from him.

Alex didn't pull away, but Walter felt him relax slightly across his lap without actually slumping. He rested his other hand on the pale bottom, then raised it high and brought it down in a sharp slap that echoed through the room.

Alex jumped and Walter repeated the swat on the other buttock, creating two slightly pink handprints that darkened the skin. As he began swatting hard and methodically, Alex lay still without a sound, only jerking a little when Walter began swatting skin he'd already covered once.

Within a couple of circuits, Alex's bottom had turned pink with a few slightly darker spots. Still, Walter couldn't hear many gasps of pain. He wasn't surprised. Alex had survived having his arm cut off without any anaesthetic.

By the fourth circuit of swats, Alex was shifting slightly and Walter's hand was beginning to sting. Walter stopped, resting his hand on Alex's lower back, and realised that a hand spanking wasn't going to do it for either of them.

Walter moved his hands away, a little surprised when Alex made no attempt to get up. He removed his belt and doubled it over in his hand, making sure the buckle was held in his fist. Replacing his restraining arm over Alex's back once more, he brought the belt down in the first hard strike.

Alex yelped, a sound that was quickly muffled.

Walter repeated the strikes, landing the belt hard down to Alex's sit spots. When the leather landed on the sensitive skin there, Walter heard a rather forceful curse from the other man. He ignored the sound of pain and started over from the top.

By the time Walter reached Alex's sit spots for the third time, he could hear Alex's breath hitching in quiet sobs. It was harder than Walter would have thought, but he forced himself to continue, not stopping until Alex's backside was bright red and he was shaking with the force of his sobs.

Placing the belt to one side, Walter hesitated briefly before carefully lifting Alex (and when had he started using the man's first name?) into his arms. He was a bit surprised when Alex didn't pull away and just curled against him, burying his face into his shoulder and curling an arm around his neck.

It took a long time for Alex's tears to die down and Walter just held him through it, one hand gently rubbing over his back. Even after his tears died away, Alex stayed close to Walter, leaning his head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, very quietly. "There are a lot of things I regret, but hurting you was the worst."

"I don't know why..."

"You've always been a decent man. This proves it." Alex sighed. "Besides, I... was attracted you. And still am."

Walter could have pointed out all of the things that Alex had done to hurt him, but since he'd just punished the other man for those crimes - or at least given him the first spanking - he decided to respond in a different way. He raised one hand and gently touched Alex's chin, tilting his head up.

Leaning down, Walter gently brushed his lips against Alex's. He felt the younger man respond as his arms tightened around him and deepened the kiss, cuddling in close.

**The End**


End file.
